Powerruff
by LeigonClaimed
Summary: I wanted the characters from my childhood to grow up with me, but when searching for a story I came up disappointed. So I wrote my own. Give it a chance and please review.
1. Chapter 1

Buttercup

It was going to happen again. That churning in my stomach, the clench in my chest as my heart seems to skip a beat. Damn. This recipe was supposed to be better and I REALLY don't have time for this shit right now. Eyes scanning the wreckage of what was once an electronics warehouse I search for that damn annoying counterpart of mine, yin to my yang and all that barf. They say there is only a small line between love and hate and let me tell you, they are fucking spot on with that shit. But lemme back up for a second.

My sisters and I, we are kinda superheros. I know, cliche right? It was fucking killer when we were younger and we could whoop scumbag ass and then go home and get candy for a job well done, but they never advertise the many disadvantages to being a hero in those comics we all read but pretend not to. No privacy, no free time, the expectancy of everyone living in Townsville that we will be there to save them anytime of the day or night, never late and never failing...its a big pain in the ass actually. But I'm not supposed to say that. Heroes are gracious, respectful, self sacrificing and all that jazz. Bullshit. We are god damn people just like everyone else and we get tired, frustrated, hurt and damn sure do we get scared. We love and we lose things. But that's kinda getting off subject isn't it.

So as I said, I have sisters. Two of them. The three of us were "born" on the same day, at the same time and in a rather unique way. Born of science rather then any paternal love. Sugar, spice and everything nice. That's us all right. Blossom, the epitome of everything nice, or at least in public. Personally I think a little fire makes someone far better of a person then just straight sweetness, but my way of thinking is a bit off I've been told. Gorgeous, smart, funny, sweet and the perfect student. Our leader by both birth and self appointment. I didn't mind though. She was born for the role after all. Then there is Bubbles, sugar in the basest sense of the word. Shes so damn sweet it gives people fucking toothaches, ever lovable and forgiving to a fault. Kinder then I could ever dream of being. Which leaves me, Buttercup, the spice to my perfect elder sister Blossom and sweet baby Bubbles. I'm not popular, not even well liked actually. Its more like they just kinda put up with me, doesn't really matter that I far surpass both my sisters in strength, courage and determination I still don't belong. The out of place Puff. That's what we call ourselves by the way, the Powerpuff Girls. Blossoms idea from back in the day, and it had stuck through the years even with our combined efforts to change it.

As for me not fitting in..well I would one day. As I said, I'm one determined Puff. Just cuz I have an attitude and am a bit of a wild card doesn't mean I don't want to belong. Want to feel appreciated and loved and like a part of something. Which is what led me to my current predicament. Not the battle with my male other half, but the pain coursing through my body. See, the professor had an idea some time ago. After a run in with the three of them, the Rowdyruff asses that both complete us and infuriate us, my "father" had gone all mad scientist, obsessing over them and their creation for weeks on end. While my sisters and I each embodied one of the elements of our creation, sugar spice and everything nice, the boys had taken it to a whole new level as we grew.

When we first encountered them they were just like us, disjointed personalities that when combined created the perfect team. But as they matured they...for lack of a better word evolved. What one had once lacked they now somehow had found. For example Butch, my own obnoxious counterpart, once just like me, an outsider to the group that was more of just the hired muscle then a real part of the group, had changed over time. His intelligence, while not quite on par with the 'smart' brother Brick, was much higher then anyone ever expected from the brawny boy. He had also become compassionate like Boomer, careful to keep civilians out of our battles and every once in a while I could catch a glimmer of kindness in his eyes. The other two followed suit, Brick becoming better at combat and as caring as Butch had become and Boomer getting smarter and better at fighting as well. Still a team, but now also working well on their own, individual. Something none of us girls had ever been capable of. When separated we seemed to fall apart, missing pieces of ourselves that made us so great. Hence the professors obsession.

We was 15 when he snapped, frustration driving him to work madly for days on end after we had been wounded in another lost battle. We had worried, but there wasn't much we could do according to my sisters. Blossom and Bubbles had continued life like normal, hoping he would come out of the lab when he was ready on his own, but of course my rash and impatient nature would have none of that. As soon as I could I abandoned my portion of our nightly 'patrol' of the city and doubled back, barging into the lab with righteous indignation. Looking back I'm not sure if it was my greatest mistake or my biggest triumph.

Turns out he wasn't stuck on some theory, but was more...indecisive. He had cracked the code, figured out to some extent the formula that had created the boys and seemed to be evolving them into better beings. He was desperate to do trials, but like any father he worried for our safety as we had no idea how this serum would effect us and he had been stewing in his indecision for days. So we had talked, more then I have ever talked in my life. Pros, cons, risks, benefits...you name it. Bubbles...sweet little Bubbles was too fragile for testing. If there was pain she would crumble. Blossom was in a word, perfect. Why risk destroying the one perfect specimen (my words, not his). Then there was me, butch little Buttercup. Best fighter, but far from perfect personality wise. Most people didn't even really like me. So where was there to lose? Plus on the off chance the serum improved me in the same ways the boys had been...I was willing to take the risks. My dad argued for a while obviously, but I was a stubborn shit even then. That had been seven years ago.

I was good at hiding it too, missing that sweet genetic that made one feel bad about their behavior or lying. We had decided it would be best to keep the experiment from my sisters. Blossom would bitch and Bubbles would worry or worse, they would demand to be drugged up too since "We are a team and we do everything together" as Blossom liked to say back then. But things chance.

We were right about the pain though. It was almost unbearable at times, only my stubborn pride keeping me on my feet as the serum ran like lava through my veins and the pressure in my head became so great my skull by all rights should crack. Apparently the Rowdyruff Boys had been bred with this serum already mixed into them so the changes came naturally, just like average humans change over time, but me...not so much. My DNA was not designed to change in these ways and it fucking hurt. Blossom probably could have handled the pain but the bouts of insanity, the depression...she would be destroyed. Trial and error helped to improve the doses and make it easier, but every once in a while a change would cause unimaginable side effects like this one obviously was, and I so do not have the time.

Now 22 I had changed considerably, the serum dulling my once reckless and volatile personality into that of an introverted loner. I still had the temper, but it was quieter. My sisters had given up years ago on bringing "me" back, finally accepting that the Buttercup I had been was gone. It wasn't that I didn't love them anymore, but dealing pain, the insanity it sometimes caused, it was easier to do that alone. We were still a team, but it really didn't feel like I was their sister anymore, at least that's what they told me. My development into what I am now was slow and they didn't seem to suspect anything, which I am glad about, but it hurt. I know I did it to myself, but it still hurt that the more I isolated myself the more laughter I could hear. I understood it though. My personality and happiness don't exactly coincide, and that thought right there is proof of my changes. Calm, understanding, reserved and self sacrificing...so NOT Buttercup.

The doses of what we now call serum B had changed me as I had hoped, calming my raging personality and increasing my IQ, even sharpening my senses. The side effects fucking sucked, but it was worth it. I think. At least I hope so. I'm only at year 7 of the 10 year trial, so there is still time for a disaster. If I can live that long of course.

Back to the here and now I'm still scanning the darkness, body bracing for an attack even as internally I writhe in agony. My sisters are elsewhere, taking on their own other halves as I went ahead to confront Butch. Nothing had changed about his need to create trouble, even if he did it on a much smaller scale now, and his brothers would always be there to have his back and distract us. Idiots. Sensing movement I pivot in mid hover, gathering power in my eyes and releasing a blinding ray of green light towards my attacker.

"Long time to see Butterbitch." His smirk pisses me off. One of his arms is raised, hand still glowing a dark green from countering my attack. Ass.

"Butch." Internally I hiss at the weak tone of my voice, breathless from pushing back the crippling pain in my body. "Still as Juvenal as ever I see. Wreaking storage warehouses, really?"

"I do whatever I please, and electronics sounded fun."

"Yeah. I'm sure. Wanna tell me something that's not complete bullshit now?" I hated when he did that. Fed me some bullshit and insulted my intelligence. I am not a fucking moron! (Anymore...)

"Why Butterbitch, you wound me."

"Fuck off Butch." His laugh only increases my ire. I may be way calmer then years past but my temper is the basis of who I am. Nothing could change that. But I know from experience I need to keep my cool and try to avoid a fight. Faster pumping blood meant faster pumping serum, which in turn when its a bad dose mean more pain. Shit. Stuck between a rock and a hard place much. "Just go home before I knock that damn grin off your face myself."

"Nah. This is way more fun." Then he is moving, charging at me in our preferred way of fighting, hand to hand combat. Fuck. Aggressive and swift he is a lethal opponent, his grace in the air almost mesmerizing if it were not directed at me. Its all I can do to dodge while keeping my body as still and calm as possible. If I slip I am so fucked.

"Aw come on BB, you can do so much better then this. Play with me!"

"This isn't a damn game!" I snarl at him, fists moving faster then any human could see to block his barrage of kicks and punches as we dance mid air.

"Sure it is, and I'm winning." An unexpected elbow to the ribs winds me and he takes advantage of my surprise, forcing me to engage him in actual combat to save my own skin. Fuck it hurts. We are moving far faster then I should be, flips and kicks and punches being blocked on both sides. The more I move the harder I pant, skin cold and clammy rather then flushed and heated like it should be from the exertion. As we move I see him assessing me, confusing in his admittedly gorgeous emerald gaze. But before he can say anything my heart thumps painfully, stuttering once before falling silent.

Eyes wide I meet his gaze and watch as the confusion morphs into something akin to worry. Oh...yeah. His senses are as good as mine and he would have caught the glaringly obvious absence of a heartbeat.

"Buttercup?" I'm startled when I realize how close he is now, face inches from my own but no longer threatening. It all happens in the millisecond it takes me to realize whats happening. My heart just stopped. An anguished gasp rips from my mouth and the world blurs and I drop like a stone to the hard concrete below.

Butch

I don't catch her before she hits. I wanted to, but I'm fucking frozen like a moron for those few precious seconds it takes her to crash. Her gasp before she fell...I've never heard a sound so filled with agony. Then panic thaws my blood and it processes in my muddled mind that her fucking heart just...stopped. My jaw clenches. I'm by her side the next second, pulling her into my arms and curling them around her protectively before taking off with so much power I leave a crater in the ground. Building blur as I put on the speed, racing towards our sibling as a panicked bellow rips through my restraint. "BLOSSOM!"

Blossom

Im sweating, body shivering as my energy wanes. We had been at this for at least an hour, Brick toying with me to keep me occupied as his asshole brother no doubt causes damage to something or another. Damn Ruffs. As I pull in a lungful of air and prepare to release my ice breath into his smirking face a sound reaches my ears, the voice cracking in anguish and very familiar to the both of us. "BLOSSOM!"

Butch? Why the hell would Butch be calling me? Doesn't matter. That tone...this isn't one of their tricks. Butch is in a panic and he is calling out to me. Without thinking it through I turn and race towards the sound, ignoring the sharp call of my name from Brick as my heart pounds against my ribs. Its urging me for reasons I cant even begin to guess at to fucking HURRY. Don't think, don't argue...just go!

We nearly crash into one another, but luckily we both register the others presence in time and slam to a halt. That's when my head empties, because cradled in this annoying Ruffs arms is a familiar onyx haired figure and from what I can tell...she isn't breathing.

"BUTTERCUP!"

Bubbles

The scream is nearly supersonic and has me gasping for breath. No. Blossom has never sounded so...broken. No. Buttercup is the best of all of us when it comes to fighting. No. NO.

My eyes must have closed as I desperately tried to deny the clenching in my gut because when they pop open to meet Boomers I can see the panicked worry that tells me what I heard is real. NO! My mouth opens on a crystalline scream, the power of it exploding the streetlamp lights for blocks. I crumble, barely registering the familiar and somehow comforting strong arms of my counterpart catching me before I hit ground. He sweeps me up and takes off in the direction of my sisters voice as I shatter.

Blossom

All the medical knowledge I had been ravenously devouring just for moments like these is lost to me as I rip my sisters limp form from Butches arms. What do I do? What do I do? Gently as possible I lay her flat on the ground, hands running frantically over her searching for something, anything to show she is still alive. My eyes are blurring as tears fall in unstoppable streams down my cheeks and I lurch back to my feet, uncharacteristically snarling at the man standing before me. "What the fuck have you done! What did you do?!"

"Her...her heart...it just...stopped." His emerald eyes don't leave Buttercups still form as he answers me, and I'm too lost in my own panic to notice the broken quality of his voice. All I know is that answer is not good enough.

"BUBBLES! BUBBLES I NEED YOU!" I'm frantic, scooping my broken sister into my arms again and disappearing in a flash of pink. The destruction my trek is coursing...I could care less. For once I could give a shit less how much damage we cause, how many homes we demolish and how fucked up the street is going to be from the power I radiate as I fly so close to the ground. The darkness is broken suddenly by a bolt of cobalt, so bright and hopeful against the bleakness around us.

"Blossom!"

"Bubbles! Go get the professor ready! Please, we have to hurry!"

She doesn't respond, just shimmers for a moment before disappearing in a bubble like pop of blue energy. I've always wished I could do that, pop from one place to another, but right now I would give up even the powers I did have to make this all go away.

Brick

We can barely keep up with her. I've never seen Blossom move this fast, never seen her act this frantic. But then again, I've never seen any of them come even close to dying before. Holy shit how had this spiraled so far out of control? Yeah, we were asses to them, constantly causing trouble and working against them. But really how else were we supposed to get their attention? Those girls were so damn oblivious it was mind boggling, even with the crazy schedule they keep. I mean for fucks sake, could they really call themselves women when they couldn't even tell when a man was in love with them? Shame on us for being those men though. We kinda love their obliviousness. Or at least I do. Boomer was just annoyed by it and Butch...well he had some strange ass courting tactics.

"The fuck happened man?!" I was the "leader" of our little rag tag group, but Butch was really the one who masterminded a lot of the shit we do. I just went along to see Blossom. Evil had gotten boring fast and most often we spent our days actually doing good things on the side, not that we would ever admit it. I let Butch take the lead of our more nefarious schemes because he was almost desperate to impress Buttercup and I understood it all too fucking well.

"I...I don't even fucking know Brick. It was going just as planned and then her heart literally stopped all on its own." He stops suddenly, his breathing choppy with panic. I watch the blur of pink energy disappear and spin back to face my brother, eyes widening at the desolate look in his eyes. "Fuck Brick...what am I gonna do if she dies?"

My fists clench at my sides and as much as I want to answer...I cant. What would he do? What would any of us do? If Blossom died...I know I would lose it completely. I'm supposed to have the answers, but there isn't anything I can say right now that can fix this. So I say what I can.

"I promise, we are gonna do everything we know to keep that stubborn brat alive."


	2. Chapter 2

Bubbles

My eyes track the professor as he rushes around the lab, the medical table usually shoved to the side wall now dominating the center of the room as he prepares all kinds of things on the rolling side tray. I'm shattered, watching dispassionately as my world crumbles around me. Sure, Buttercup had been distant the past few years and isolated herself from me, but I had always known she wasn't doing it to be cruel. She was my sister, and I loved her like none other. Blossom, Buttercup and I...we were three parts of a whole, and without the spunk to our sweet how would we survive? My thoughts are severed by a crash and a cloud of dust, Blossom standing like an avenging angel in the destroyed doorway with Buttercup in her arms.

I'm moving before a thought passes through my mind, arms easing the bundle from my terrified rose eyes sister and lying her on the slab of metal that was the medical table. Backing away with hurried steps I watch a moment as the professor begins to assess my dark haired sister before turning to the red haired one now crumbled in the rubble of the doorway. Blossom is chanting, too low for even my hearing to catch if I wasn't right beside her. "No no no no no no..." The sound breaks my already shattered heart and I sink to my knees against her side. This cant be happening-

Alarms break the tense silence in the room, the now attached heart monitor blaring a flat signal that sends the both of us into hysterics. Oh god. Professor is racing around the table, attaching tubes and placing I.V.s with a blank expression on his face. I'm now joining in the chant, Blossom and I nearly insane with panic.

Boomer

Its like walking into hell as we pass the shattered and slightly melted remnants of the doorway, keening wails and blaring alarms assaulting our ears. Holy shit. The three of us stumble to a stop still standing among the rubble. Blossom must have destroyed the doorways, both front and the one leading into the professors lab, because both her and Bubbles are crumbled in the rubble of the other doorway, hysterically crying as they watch the professor work. My breath freezes when I see the flat lined heart monitor and I feel tears leak from my eyes in a slow trickle.

Careful steps lead me across the room and I drop next to the bubbly blue angel, gently prying her off of her sister and pull her into my chest. I never knew these sisters could look so broken and it kills me to know we played a part in it. I'm not sure what went down at that warehouse but this was beyond fucked up. Cradling the blonde I leave behind the destruction and panic, easily navigating to the room that smelled just like her, vanilla and sunlight. I had seen the room a few times, found the blue hues calming and so like her, but now it is lost to me and I sit on the bed with her cradled in my arms, trying my damnedest to hold together the shattered girl I love.

Brick

I'm not good at this. I don't know what to do. I could plan a heist, mastermind secret missions...but I don't know what the fuck I should do as I watch the rose eyed sister fall apart on the floor. That is until Boomer makes his move. Makes sense he would know how to react, he is the sweet and caring one after all. As he takes Bubbles off to another part of the house I move with cautious steps until I am behind her sobbing form, unsure of how to proceed even after watching Boomer. Luckily it didn't seem I would have to figure it out.

She must have felt my presence, something that all of us could do when it came to our other halves because in a flash of pink light she spins and throws herself against me, sobbing and begging me to make it stop. But she knows there isn't anything I can do, I know she knows it. So I just wrap my arms around her and let her crumble.

Butch

I don't want to watch but I don't have a choice. I hardly notice my brothers caring for their female halves, my gaze glued to her face, silently begging those amazing jade eyes to open. The professor is cutting away her clothes, discarding the shredded sweatshirt and black jeans with practiced ease. I hadn't seen this much of her skin in years. At some point this gorgeous creature had decided to hide within herself and no matter how hard I tried I hadn't been able to break her shell. The shield of baggy sweaters and dark colors hadn't dissuaded me, but I had to admit I wished she would show off that amazing figure of hers like her sisters did. As I trace the creamy skin of her shoulders something catches my eyes, drawing them down to her arm as a gasp rips from my lips.

It could be mistaken for a tattoo, if not for my superior sight. Black lines run beneath her skin, the veins from wrist to elbow of her left arm stained and easily seen beneath the pale covering of skin. A few inches above her wrist is a small plastic ring, an implanted I.V. I realize. The fuck? Confused I take greater care in watching the professors work, surprised to find a bag of black ooze near the bed. My eyes widen as he plugs some kind of pump into the hole in her arm and the tube begins filling with the same black liquid, pulling it from her body with a sickening sucking noise.

Bubbles

I cant breathe with my face shoved against his chest, but as hard as I'm sobbing I couldn't breath anyway so I was going to accept the comfort he was silently offering. Thank the gods Boomer was here.

I don't know how long we sat that way, my sobbing slowly dying into hiccups and then silence, but when I finally looked up at my blonde savior his eyes are desolate. "We have to go back."

Butch

Two full bags. He had sucked two full fucking bags of that black shit out of her god damned body. Almost immediately the change had occurred, the heart monitor silencing except for the occasional beeping, signaling a slow but steady beating of her heart. I had collapsed then, my knees hitting the floor with a loud crash but my eyes never leaving her in that damned bed. It had taken time to break me from my trance, Brick finally smacking the back of my head to get my attention. We all now sat in the living room, everyone ignoring the demolished doorways on either side of us as we stare expectantly at the professor.

Blossom

I had found a semblance of calm when I heard the beating of a heart from the monitor, but it had taken quite a while for Brick to get me calmed enough that the tears stopped and I could think rationally. He wouldn't let me go though and Boomer wouldn't let go of Bubbles either. I wanted answers on that, but not right now. For now I was just thankful to have them here, holding us together when we cant do it ourselves.

"Professor?" His answering sigh is tired, filled with what sounds like guilt and confusing me all over again.

"She doesn't want you to know Blossom."

"I don't really think that's her choice to make anymore. She just di-" My voice breaks, but I fight to finish my sentence. "-died. I think we deserve to know what the hell is going on."

"Whats the black shit." Butch's voice cuts in before my father can answer, but I cant be annoyed as I want the answer as well.

"That is something we call serum B, Buttercups joke of naming it after herself."

"What is it professor?" This times its Bubbles asking, her voice rough from the crying. While she acted like an airhead Bubbles was actually pretty damn smart, and she knew when our father was trying to dance around an answer.

"Its...an experiment."

"Ex-experiment?" What?

"I need to start at the beginning. Have you girls ever noticed that though you work well as a team on your own, its like your powerless?" Our hesitant nods seem answer enough and he continues with a grim smile. "Well the men here...they aren't like that. Something in them allowed them to, while starting out as one unit, evolve past that. They can be independent, and it drove me mad trying to figure out how and why." Comprehension dawns and I gasp.

"Wait...that summer..."

"Yes. But not for why you think. I was fine until I figured it out, content to work on the formulas and equations. But then I did, or at least a part of it. I figured out what was added to their DNA that I missed with you girls. But I didn't want to put you through the experiments. I didn't know what would happen to you. Buttercup...you know how your sister can be. She stormed the lab one day, pumping me for hours on the details of my research and demanding to see the serum I had created. I argued with her for a while but in the end...I caved. My curiosity and her determination crumbled my resolve and I agreed to let her be the test subject. I didn't know how bad things would get. She had just turned 16 and had been undergoing injections for five or six months when she demanded to have the injection tube implanted. She said the needles hurt worse then the injection itself and she would rather just have it in permanently. We changed each batch, working to perfect the dose and properties...and it seemed to work. I'm sure you all noticed the changes, but you could have had no idea what was behind them. Her personality changed, her moods eased, but she became...distant. I didn't realize how much pain she was in for years. About four years in I had come home to grab my lunch and she must have cut class. The day before I had given her a new dose, thinking all was well and she was handling it fine...I heard the screams before I even opened the door. It took hours to ease the pain and I was a mess, refusing to continue with the ten year plan we had. But we don't know what would happen if we stopped now. If she had told me how painful all this was in the first few months...I might have been able to do something. But now we are damned if we do and damned if we don't. The stress on her body by suddenly quitting treatment could kill her, but the treatment itself could kill her just as easily as you just saw. This isn't the first time her body has given out."

"...you...you cant...be serious." My words are stuttered, breaking the stunned silence we had all descended into. "...you...you've been experimenting...torturing her...for years."

"I never meant for it to get like this. If she wasn't so damn stubborn we could have figured something out, but she is so infuriatingly determined...it was just too late."

"Oh god."

Butch

I'm going to be sick.

"We change each dose, trying to perfect it and get rid of the side effects...but its not an easy process."

"Why...why weren't we told?!" Bubbles voice is near hysterical again and I notice Boomers hands firmly planted on her hips as if holding her back. This was not going to end well. Even sweet little bubbles is ready to go berserk.

"Again, your sister is one tough cookie. When we were originally discussing things I had voiced my worries about what it would do to you girls. Buttercup agreed about you two."

"Us?" This time its Blossom, voice whisper soft.

"Her exact wording was 'Bubbles would crumble if there is pain, shes just too soft and sweet, and why risk ruining perfection with Blossom. I'm the one who just doesn't fit. Good or bad, no one would really care. Try it on me.' She was adamant that if we told you anything you would either demand we stop or demand to be included. You were all about being a team back then, doing everything together." The professors voice is sad, guilt ridden and sounding so much older then I remember.

I feel my heart crack at her reasoning, but I had been there at one point in time. I knew what it was like to be the one unfit for your family. I hadn't known she was suffering through it as well. How could I miss that? How could I miss THIS?

"Oh Blossom, don't blame yourself." Bubbles coo brings me out of my musings. I must have missed something because Blossom has again broken down and my brother had released Bubbles to go to her.

"I'm-im not-im not perfect! I just-I just pretended to be! I-wanted-to be- a worthy leader-but I hurt her!" Blossoms wail makes the crack in my heart widen and with stiff movement I rise and rush from the room and out of that damn house. I cant go far, something inside me refusing to be far from the back from the fucking dead woman I for some reason love. I only make it a few houses before burying my fist in a brick wall, a howl of rage filling the air. As I breath through the blinding red haze I notice both of my brothers hovering nearby, their eyes conveying both sympathy and their own anger.

"Butch."

"Just...just give me a few minutes Boomer."

"We cant turn our backs on this. Its too late to go back, and I cant leave Blossom anymore then you can leave Buttercup. Its time to be honest with ourselves. We need them." My head drops to my chest, anger vibrating through my limbs and making me shake.

"I don't know if I can handle this. Being near the professor...knowing shes getting those sacks of shit pumpled into her body...knowing she asked for it."

"She was young Butch. She made a strong choice, maybe the wrong one, but still strong. Just be there."

"That's fucking easy for you to say. You didn't have to watch Bubbles fucking die."

"Easy Butch. That's not what he meant and you know it." I sigh heavily, my heart heavier then I can ever remember.

"Yeah. I know."

Bubbles

When Butch had stiffly stormed out I knew now was so not the time for him to be alone. Boomer always seemed to know what I'm thinking and even before I turn to him he was striding across the room, motioning for Brick to follow. This was just so messed up. My arms are still circling Blossoms shoulders, but my eyes are locked on the professor. How could he keep this from us? Buttercup I got, she had always been this way...but our father knew better. When he finally speaks again I can tell he is holding back tears of his own.

"I know it doesn't fix anything, or atone for my mistakes...but I am so sorry girls. I tried to stop her, but I could and should have tried harder."

"I-I don't understand why she would want this." Blossoms voice is muffled, but the professors sigh lets me know he has heard her all the same.

"She was feeling out of place and I was giving her dreams of becoming more then just spice. She could become like you two, finally fitting into the happy circle she always imagined around you. I think she just felt...lost. I thought I knew what was going on and the risks, but I also thought she would tell me if it was bad. I underestimated her tolerance and her determination. Anyone else would have broken from the pain."

"You don't call this broken?" Butch's voice is harsh in the quiet room and my eyes jump to his silhouette in the doorway. Boomer and Brick are at his back, identical glowers on their faces. They are angry, but I cant really understand why. I mean I'm glad they are here, glad we have them when our world is changing, but I hadn't really stopped to figure out why they even care yet. Before I can ask Butch is speaking again, his eyes hard and voice accusing. "Shes been broken for years! Hiding away her emotions, her body...her whole fucking being! I call that pretty fucking broken!"

"Why exactly do you care?" Butch's eyes snap to me, but what would have made me cower a few hours ago now only rolls off the fog of grief around me. "Why do any of you care? Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful, but shouldn't you be happy about this? You could finally get rid of one of us for good."

"That's not what we want." Bricks voice is decidedly calmer then his brothers, but still just as cold.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." I just want them to make sense.

"Think about it Bubbles. We are counterparts, two halves of a whole. Hate is pretty much the opposite of what we feel for you brats." Boomer says and steps forward, blocking Butch's glower and silencing Bricks obvious retort if his open mouth is anything to go by.

"O...k?" His exasperated sigh causes me to blush, but anger quickly follows. Sorry I'm just some dumb blonde, but they have been screwing with us for years. A sudden shift in behavior is pretty damn confusing!

"Bubbles honey, think hard. We were practically made for each other. What would come naturally?"

"Love." Blossoms dead tone doesn't scare me quite as much as the word she utters in that monotone voice. My arms fall from her shoulders with a dull thud and all the anger I felt a moment ago drains to leave me empty. Just...what?

"I see you figured it out." I don't even bother to respond, too lost in my own world at the moment to get annoyed at his amused tone. Rowdyruffs and Powerpuffs? No way.


	3. Chapter 3

Buttercup

Ow. Fuck it hurts. Slowly coming back to the waking world I hear a distressed groan followed by hushed voices, belatedly realizing that the groan came from me. Biting back another one I flutter my eyes open, grimacing at both the light that blinds me and the effort it takes to just open my damn eyes. Blinking rapidly to dissipate the black spots dancing in my vision my eyes circle to the area that the voices originated from, surprise and a sinking sensation filling me as I lock eyes with none other then Butch. Huh?

Butch

We all freeze when we hear her pained groan, eyes swiveling to look at her lying on that damned medical table. My heart speeds up when she twitches, eyes fluttering rapidly before finally opening in a grimace. The light. "Turn the fucking light off." My hushed demand breaks the frozen silence and the professor rapidly crosses the room to switch off his labs overhead light. The grimace smooths off of her face and her eyes finally open fully, the jade gaze searching then surprised as it locks onto me. "Hey."

Buttercup

I'm confused, but then again what can I expect? I'm not an idiot, I've done this before. Died that is. Not in the dramatic of a fashion of course, but I recognized the pain and dull throbbing in my arm. Guess professor had to pump my dose out. Damn. Dropping my eyes from those emerald eyes without responding I search for my father, finally locating him at the end of my bed, his eyes cloudy with both emotion and shame.

"Professor..."

"Yeah. Heart this time. Barely had time to get it out."

"Shit." I fall silent for a moment, body aching and mind whirring. "Ideas?"

"None. I thought this one would be better then the last, not stop you heart."

"Next time." I keep my voice light, instinctively trying to lessen his guilt and make it more of a joke.

"Don't." His voice cuts like a whip and I jerk around to look at the emerald eyed speaker. "Don't make this a fucking joke Buttercup."

If I thought I was confused by his presence I'm way more confused by the emotion in his voice. He sounded...hurt? Clearing my suddenly dry throat I look back to the professor and drop my eyes to the monitors and tubes.

"Ah. Sure." With quick motions he disconnects me from all the wiring, the final tube stretching from my implant to the black bags popping off with a gross sucking noise.

"Thanks." Sitting up I ignore the dizziness tugging at my mind, easily shifting to slide my legs off the side of the table and preparing to hop down. Granite arms hold me in place before I complete the motion and without looking up I already know who's arms they are.

"The hell are you doing?!"

"Getting up Butch. Its what normal people do when they wake up."

"Don't be a fucking smart ass Buttercup, I'm not in the mood. You just fucking died. Lay your ass back down."

"No."

"Goddamn it Buttercup!"

"I have to get up, let the clean blood cycle through my arteries and repair the damage to my heart." His answer is a hissed curse, but he does back off and let me up. My legs feel like jelly but I move with practiced ease, cuz I'm boss at pretending everything is fine.

"Feel anything?" The professors soft inquiry makes me smile, not that ill be honest with him.

"Nah. Good as new now." As I turn to exit the lab I jerk to a halt, the chaos I had previously missed making my damaged heart race. Oh no.

Blossom and Bubbles stood like sentry's by the demolished doorway, their gazes cutting me to the bone. I sweep my gaze past them to the other Ruffs glowering from the couch. Damn, that amount of glare directed at me...I'm surprised I haven't burst into flame. My voice comes out nervous and soft, cracking under the strain its taking to keep from freaking out.

"He-hey guys..."

"Buttercup." Oh, Bubbles is mad. I don't think I've heard her use that tone in years. Blossom doesn't even bother to respond, her gaze cutting me like a whip.

"Um...so...I'm assuming you know now."

"Yeah. They know." Butch answers for them, one hand moving to cup my elbow and steer me through the glowering pair of Puffs. I have some scary ass sisters. "I need to talk to the idiot, you can shred her later."

"Hey-" My annoyed response dies on my tongue when he shift his eyes to glare at me, eyes hard even though his touch is gentle. Well shit. Guess everyone is mad at me, but why the hell does this Ruff care what I do or that I died? I'm getting more confused and freaked the longer I'm awake. Shoulda just stayed asleep. Damn. I curb my tongue as he storms through our home, easily finding my room though I'm not really sure how. I would ask but...well...I'm honestly a little scared of him right now. I mean I know enough that if he wanted to hurt me my sisters would be on him in a flash, but with how mad they all are at me...I've never even seen Butch this mad. I wouldn't call it rough, but when he shoves me down onto my bed and cages me between his arms he isn't exactly gentle either.

"Now. I want to know why. Your words, not the professors." It would be easier to think if he wasn't so freaking attractive, but his mood now...well its not really the time to be thinking about how hot he is. I squirm under his gaze, eyes closing on a sigh.

"There was a chance."

"A chance of what?"

"A chance of being more then just the tolerated green puff. I was so tired of the fake smiles, the adoration of my sisters but the obvious disdain of me. I don't blame my sisters...but I wanted to be more. There was a chance with this, and I took it."

"You risked dying just to be like your sisters?"

"No. I risked dying to stop being me."

Butch

Ouch. That one hurt even me, her voice so broken and filled with pain I feel my stomach lurch. How did no one notice how lost and destroyed she had been? I'm supposed to be her other half, but I didn't notice how dramatically she changed or how much pain she was in. Shit.

"Buttercup..."

"I know your all mad, though I don't really understand why you Ruffs give a shit. I mean, its not like I'm hurting you in any way. Actually I'm making your job easier." OK, that one hurt worse.

"Shut up and listen very carefully. I know this is gonna break your little brain, but I wont be repeating it any time soon." Though her eyes are annoyed I watch with mild satisfaction as her full lips purse and take a moment to appreciate her lying, living and breathing, beneath me. Chin length strands of onyx hair fans like a halo around her head, vibrant streaks of lime green glowing in the gloom of the dark room. Even pursed her lips are delectable, full and pink and perfect. Cat like eyes matching the streaks of green in her hair watch me warily, annoyance and confusion swimming in their depths. She is so small compared to me, easily mistakable for delicate, but I knew firsthand how fucking hardcore this slip of a female could be. It make me want her all the more. I had obviously noticed how beautiful she and her sisters were before, I'm a fucking 22 year old guy for Christs sake, but I hadn't let myself really see her as something I wanted to claim. I knew the minute I did I would be lost. Turns out I was lost anyway, I just didn't know it. "Don't talk till I'm done, got it green?"

Even her nod is sassy. Could this girl get any better? Other then being a moron who has put her own life on the line for some stupid misconception of becoming 'better', shes so fucking perfect. "I know your gonna argue this, but you already were perfect you moron. Strong, a will of iron, determined...you have always been perfect in my eyes. Annoying, downright dumb at times, but perfect. At least for me. It helps that your so fucking gorgeous it hurts to look at you. Stop looking at me like that, I'm trying to be sweet here. Now where was I? Oh, yeah. Perfect. Do you have any idea how long I've fought trying to keep myself off of you? How often I wanted to grab those sleek muscles and silence that wasp like tongue of yours with my lips? I've been in love with you for most of my fucking life." She has frozen beneath me, but I push past the lump in my throat and continue to pour my heart out to the one person who could crush me.

"I already know what your gonna say. 'But Butch why, if we have both been in love this long, do you keep picking fights?' Its a good question." I ignore her snort at my imitation of her voice, those mesmerizing eyes rolling in an exasperated manner that makes me grin. "Well we couldn't ruin our rep by becoming all lovey dovey with the Puffs now could we? But, we wanted to see you. So we staged it. All of it. We haven't been "bad" for a long time, actually we've been pretty damn angelic if I do say so myself. But being a pussy wasn't going to impress the three of you, so we kept at it. Telling ourselves we weren't in love and it would pass, but unable to stay away from you all the same. Then you died." Her breath catches at that, the eyes that snap back to mine watering. "Nuh uh, no crying. Anyway. So, then you died, and I lost my fucking mind for a minute. What the hell was I gonna do with you gone green? You are my other half. There isn't gonna be someone else for me. Just like ill be damned if there will be anyone else for you."

"Yo-"

"Don't even try and argue it green. Your mine, period. You don't have to fucking like it but that's how it is."

Buttercup

Butch being sappy, holy hell I didn't think id ever see the day. I try to get a word in, but he just snaps at me. Oh, he thinks I'm gonna argue that he isn't my master or some shit. He knows me pretty damn well actually doesn't he.

"Oh shut up and lemme talk." His mouth snaps shut with an audible crunch, teeth grinding together in frustration though he tries to hide it. Its adorable. "What I was gonna say before I was so very rudely interrupted..." I eye him accusingly, his scowl deepening while I try and suppress my laughter. "You really think I've ever wanted anyone else? From the time I was five every time I dreamed of boys or my future there you were, annoying and brutish as always but never the less there by my side. It sucked during puberty. I thought you hated me, but I wanted you so damn bad it hurt. Then the treatment started and it was a pretty good distraction. Didn't make it disappear, but it eased the pain."

He opens his mouth but my glare snaps it shut again. "No, you had your turn. Now its mine. I started this because I wanted to be worthy. Worthy of being a Powerpuff, of being a hero...worthy of you. I was going mad, raging about what I couldn't have and hurting those around me. You should have heard them, happy and laughing once I calmed down and stopped ruining everything. They deserved better then what I was, and I gave it to them. Once all this is over...ill be a new Buttercup, finally worth my name. That's why."

"No one wanted a new Buttercup but you."

"Either way."

"No, not either way. I don't think you understand. We all loved you, still love you, just as you are and were. I didn't want you to change. I know its seven years too late, but I want you just as you are." I feel the swimming tears finally break and slip down my face, my eyes locked on his earnest yet still annoyed expression.

"Its too late now Butch. There is no going back, and I wouldn't if I could. I'm sorry."

"Don't say sorry, just fucking promise to stop lying, hiding...pushing your sisters away. Pushing me away. I'm not going anywhere, not after this. I cant."

Blossom

I'm standing here, staring at Brick like hes from another world. Its just too much for me to comprehend. The Ruffs loving the Puffs? Some sick joke no doubt. Crossing my arms I wait for him to speak, unwilling to be the first to break the awkward silence as we stand facing one another in my candy pink bedroom.

"Look Blossom. I know this is a lot to take it with what happened to your sister, but be logical for a second. It makes sense doesn't it. We are perfect pairs."

"Yeah. I get that."

"What? Really?" He sounds incredulous and also relieved, but he still isn't out of the woods yet.

"Yeah. I'm not slow Brick. But that does not explain why you A: didn't tell us and B: caused endless trouble for us." I was really pissy at the moment, ill admit it, but no matter how nice he acts I think I have the right to be suspicious. "Over and over again we would get calls about what the Ruffs are doing, what they have destroyed...its never ending."

"Ah...that. Yeah. Well, easiest way to explain that is stupidity."

"Stupidity?" My scoff could flay flesh from bone its so cutting, but he takes it with a self depreciating shrug.

"Yup. Hey, I claim to be the smart one but I am still a guy Blossom. Prone to mistakes. A lot of them actually. Basically what I mean is...we faked it. All of it. We caused enough noise to get you called then spent the rest of it sparring or just plain annoying you. Think about it. How much damage have we actually caused these past few years? Evil gets old fast, and once we hit puberty and started really noticing you...the rest was history. We just used the pretense as an excuse to see you without ruining our bad boy reputation. I mean, you girls are no wilting violets, and having us act like a bunch of pansy ass love struck teenagers would not have been impressive to you. So we just kept up the pretense and tried impressing you in other ways. Kinda worked too didn't it?" My blush is nuclear now as I try and sputter out a denial that I know is a damn lie. Apparently he does too.

"Yeah. That's what I thought. Stupid yeah, but effective, at least till tonight. Butch fucking lost it when you took off, and though he is trying to play it cool he is still reeling from the experience. We all are. It never even crossed our minds that there would be a chance of losing you. Your fucking super heroes. Now that we've seen it first hand...all our worlds sort of shifted, and wasting time being morons really doesn't suit the new mindset. So here we are, me acting like a love-struck fool and facing off a pissy Puff."

I'm annoyed with that last part, but if he hadn't done something to ruin the moment it wouldn't be him now would it. Damn idiot. He is right though. I cant deny the attraction that's been simmering for years, so ingrained it was like a part of me now. "Your an idiot."

His face softens, red eyes glowing with so much adoration my heat skips, then skips again at the love in his voice. "Yeah. I know."

Boomer

"Bubbles...baby...talk to me." I'm panicking, ill admit it. As Butch and Brick swept their females out of the room mine had just sat there, still as stone while I desperately tried to explain myself. She has to understand. I cant fucking live without this frothy blonde in my life, but if she hates me...oh shit. My eyes screw shut, fist clenching as her silence cuts me worse then any words. I had accepted her power over me first, understanding on some level that I was meant to belong to her, not the other way around. I had kept my mouth shut because I loved my brothers and I knew they were far from ready to accept our fate. My mistake.

When we had met all those years ago I thought the girl an idiot, flaky and lost in a world of rainbows and unicorns only she could see. But the more I was around her the more I understood. She wasn't lost, she was the fucking shepherd. Steering us, the ones lost in the dark, back into her world of utter joy. She was like an angel back then, and had changed so little over the years but at the same time so much. Twin chin length pigtails had lengthened into blonde waterfalls, easily as long as her hips if she ever let them down. Her cherub face had sharpened into one of ethereal beauty, cobalt eyes that could touch your very soul dominating the fairy like face. Then her lips, not quite as full as her sisters but wider, like a permanent smile...they tempted me to do so many damn things. But I wouldn't, because she deserved so much better. At least that's what I had thought before I was slapped in the face with reality. We could lose them. Lose our better halves before we ever experienced the joy of having them as our own.

I probably lost her anyway considering her silence. I don't think Bubbles has been this quiet in her life, and it fucking hurts knowing shes doing it because of me. When her silence becomes unbearable I bolt, diving into the darkness of the Townsville night to drown out the pain of rejection. I don't get far before I'm tackled from behind, our two bodies crashing into a nearby field with enough force to crater the earth. Obviously I take the brunt of the fall, easily adjusting her smaller form until she is cradled in my arms.

"Boomer."

Tipping my head back I let the cool night air caress my face, refusing to look down into those eyes that would rip out my heart.

"I love you. I don't want to. But I do." That snaps my head up, rapping my chin sharply on the top of her angelic but hard as hell head.

"Wait...what?" Her fucking giggle is both adorable and maddening considering I'm in a near panic again, shaking her in the cage of my arms until the giggles die out.

"I said I love you. I'm mad. I don't really wanna love you right now, cuz you've acted like a jerk. But I do and your not gonna get away from me that easily." My sigh of relief leaves me breathless.


End file.
